Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently announced his vision for a “Mile High Line” that connects Denverities to each other and seven major sites through better transit and denser urban development. The sites are Park Hill Park, the National Western Center, Downtown Denver, Ball Arena &amp; River Mile, Burnham Yard (future Broncos stadium), Old Mile High (current Broncos stadium), and Santa Fe Yards (future Denver Summit stadium). Together these sites provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build higher-density, mixed-used development that supports walking, rolling, biking, and transit, while also dramatically improving multimodal connectivity through central Denver. Right now, the Mayor’s vision is just that; DSP and our coalition partners have sent him a letter of recommended policy and infrastructure priorities that would make this Line and it’s urban connectivity a reality. Now it’s your turn! 
Use this email form to urge Mayor Johnston to prioritize funding and policies that will make the most of this opportunity. Choose 2-3 projects from this list to mention and share why you especially would like to see those completed. 
<h3>Project Recommendations</h3>
Transit
<ul>
<li>Partner with RTD to increase the frequency of transit service, and add transit service where it currently doesn’t exist, to implement the Frequent Transit Network envisioned in <a href="https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Transit/Denver-Moves-Transit" target="_self"><ins>Denver Moves Transit</ins></a>.</li>
<li>Champion the near-term completion of <a href="https://www.drcog.org/transportation-planning/regional-bus-rapid-transit-planning-implementation" target="_self"><ins>Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)</ins></a>, with fully dedicated bus lanes, along the <a href="https://denverstreetspartnership.org/what-we-do/federal-boulevard/" target="_self"><ins>Federal Boulevard</ins></a>, <a href="https://denverstreetspartnership.org/what-we-do/colorado-boulevard/" target="_self"><ins>Colorado Boulevard</ins></a>, and Speer/Leetsdale corridors, complementing the <a href="https://denverstreetspartnership.org/what-we-do/colfax/" target="_self"><ins>Colfax BRT</ins></a> currently under construction to create an actual network of rapid bus routes connecting to the Mile High Line.</li>
<li><a href="https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Projects/Welton-Next-Steps" target="_self"><ins>Fully connect transit from downtown along the Welton and Downing corridors</ins></a> to the 38th and Blake A-Line station.</li>
<li>Work with RTD, DRCOG, and DEN to secure the funding necessary to double-track the A-Line, to accommodate increased demand for travel along this corridor that connects the entire Mile High Line. </li>
</ul>
Walking &amp; Rolling
<ul>
<li>Complete the Broadway bikeway to connect from Speer Boulevard and the Cherry Creek Trail through Downtown to the grade-separated cycle track on Brighton Boulevard.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.droptherail.com/" target="_self"><ins>Avoid at-grade rail crossings</ins></a> between the La Alma - Lincoln Park neighborhood, Burnham Yard, and other adjacent areas to reduce the risk of collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, reduce noise pollution, and reduce disruptions of rail service.</li>
<li>Champion and fund the buildout of the <a href="https://www.the5280trail.com/" target="_self"><ins>5280 Trail</ins></a>, the <a href="https://303artwaydenver.org/" target="_self"><ins>303 ArtWay</ins></a>, and additional planned bicycle facilities from surrounding neighborhoods into the Mile High Line area to create fully-connected, high-quality pedestrian and bicycle routes through central Denver and the Park Hill neighborhood. </li>
</ul>
Planning/Zoning
<ul>
<li>Commit to <a href="https://denverstreetspartnership.org/cloverleaf/" target="_self"><ins>removing and redesigning the Colfax/Federal cloverleaf interchange</ins></a> to restore the local street grid and prioritize walkable/rollable, connected, transit-oriented development on surrounding parcels. This includes <a href="https://denverstreetspartnership.org/hard-pass-on-lot-m/" target="_self"><ins>choosing an alternative location for the relocation of Denver Water</ins></a> instead of the Lot M parking area of the current Broncos stadium currently being considered.</li>
<li>Upzone all appropriate areas within the Mile High Line boundaries and along connecting transit routes to encourage transit-supportive densities and mix of uses: at least C-MX-8x within ⅛ mile of a light rail stop; at least G-RX-5x within ¼ mile of light rail and ⅛ mile of BRT centerlines; and at least G-MU-3x within ⅜ mile of light-rail stations, ¼ mile of BRT centerlines, and ⅛ mile of medium-frequency bus stops. </li>
</ul>

Ask Mayor Johnston to Make the Most of the Mile High Line with Multi-modal Transportation

I’m excited about the vision you put forward for the Mile High Line as “a city that is connected to each other and connected to a shared vision for jobs, housing, transit, climate and equity,” and I’m writing to urge you to put real policies and investments behind it.

The seven catalytic sites identified for the Mile High Line are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create higher-density, mixed-use neighborhoods that make it easy to walk, roll, bike, and take transit in and between them. But that will only happen if multimodal transportation and dense development practices are priorities from the start.

Denver already has many of the plans and ideas needed to make these connections a reality. The Denver Moves Transit plan identifies proposed high-frequency bus routes connecting many of the Mile High Line sites, but some currently have little or no transit service, while others fall short of the goal of buses every 15 minutes or better throughout the day. There are also important gaps in our existing rail and walking and biking networks.

Please make the Mile High Line a model for a more connected, affordable, sustainable, and equitable Denver by prioritizing:
Frequent, reliable transit connecting all seven sites
Safe and comfortable walking, rolling, and biking connections between these sites and surrounding neighborhoods
Dense, mixed-use development that supports people arriving by transit, biking, walking, and rolling

Thank you for putting forward an ambitious vision for Denver. I urge you to match that vision with bold action and make multimodal transportation and people-centered development central to the Mile High Line.